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Angles of Attack, Part Three
Team Titan Think Tank Issue 7 "Angles of Attack" (Part 3) Front Cover- a special festive cover, where Cain stands before the reader holding a purple present, the present is ticking. "Is is a present... or is it a bomb!" Cain says 'Merry Christmas chaps!" The issue opens where we left the team, in the training simulation. Games Master looks at his own energy sword having pierced through the energy simulcra of the woman surrounding him and pierced through its chest and appears to be lodged in his own chest. "Nnnnn..." The sword wavers and becomes indistinct and suddenly jolts into his body. GM jerks back and then his entire body glows with purple energy as his fists clench and then the energy simmers down, still wafting off of Games Master in thinner streams; he staggers back, clutching his chest with one hand. Reb looks to GM wide eyed and shocked. Looking from the others to 'Old Master' and back again, Tonic buries her head in her hands, the shakes her head, refocuses, and gives him a look of intense concentration. The Old Master makes a single cough and otherwise raises an eyebrow at Tonic before looking back to Games Master in some shock at the wound caused "...um....oh...." says Tonic. One of Old Master's feet stumbles a little, as he checks his stance and coughs again. Mr Psychic decides a new approach. He grips hold of his cane and points it toward Old Master. He flicks one of many hidden switches and it hums. Tops stomps after Cain, who is heading towards Old Master "Priming ZiPPE beam!" Gunn barks, his powered armour humming a note keener before he thrusts another beam of red energy, towards the Old Master. "You're quick for your years, but I'm quicker for mine!" As Old Master leaps and double somersaults the beam, landing ahead of it as is strikes the door behind him, as the beam pushes it shut. Gunn shuts off the beam and glowers. "I call hacks. This simulator's clearly broken." "..M...m...maybe we're doing it wrong?" Old Master gives a knowing grin and raises both eyebrows twice. "Now he's gloating! I'm being mocked by a man old enough to be GRANDAD" Sonne rants. Cain slides down under the beam shot, having already had to sidestep in his charge during Old Master's retaliation against Master of Arms. He slides to a halt a few feet behind the old man, glowering not at him, but at the group. "I think he's technically older, actually" comes GRANDAD's voice, out of the Rumble Room environment. "Oh, Zark." "He said *together*!" Cain seethes, "This is supposed to be the part where we pretend this is a functional unit. If we can't get through a simulation without someone bleeding out, then think for a moment what the likes of Blitzkrieg will do to us!" "I t...tried...to w...weaken him f...for...y...you?" "Cool your jets, handbag. I'm trying to hold him still, ain't I? What do you want, a shunting committee meeting?" Sonne says. "Oh, I'll tell you what I want..." Cain hisses "T...that was Isoflurane...an a...an...anaesthetic gas...t...to t...try to slow him d...down..." "Reb! Tend to the fallen. Tops, protect the both of them. The rest..." Tops immediately leaps in front of Games Master, fists clenching, spinning round in Gentleman's Boxing motions. Cain drops his weight on to one foot, shaking, his claws growing notably "Let's see how pinning this one 'together' works out." Reb stares at GM; his eyes flashes white for a second. He tilts his head. Nothing else seems to happen "Erm...thats wierd perhaps something is interfering with the means I utilise to heal, curious...are you ok to last for proper medical treatment Mr Master?" "All fine,"GM huffs slightly. "I could go for another level-" Reb smiles "So you got a 1 up?" "Something like that," GM winks. Tonic mutters "Needs more calibrations...possibly reducing the iodine by .17%..." Cain, who has snuck those extra few paces closer to Old Master without notice, raises a claw above him. "With me!" he yells, swooshing it down. As Old Master brings his hand directly upward behind his head, without looking at Cain, intercepting his claw, as the air around Old Master's feet turns to lead. Games Master runs at Old Master and Gunn fires his beam, but the Master sways, just avoiding the beam... barely. Old Master's hand clasps around Cain's wrist but Cain jerks his arm back and breaks the grapple turned against him throwing the Master off-balance a little as Games Master barrels into him, wrapping his arms around the Master's chest. Yu then grabs a flailing arm, locking onto it. Old Master is struggling against the two. And then Mr Psychic hits a button on his top hat and Old Master's remaining arm is surrounded by a pink force field and slammed to his hip. Yu is restrained, but still not yet defeated. Cain stands tall, straightening out his suit again quietly and hastily, before striding in front of the Master and coughing for attention. The Master looks right at him. "And there we have it." he says to them all, normal-sized claws now behind his back. "Were this a true villain, we could now deal with him however we chose. I believe incarceration is the preferred method." "Quite so, my reptilian ally" says Mr Psychic. "What else do heroes do to the bad guys?" says Reb, head tilting Yu hisses the word "yield" in Chinese through clenched teeth, maintaining his lock on Old Master's arm, his own shaking with effort. "You are also here to learn" he responds in Chinese Yu just looks at Old Master, showing understanding in his gaze. He spares a glance towards Cain. A brief, sly smile flicks onto Cain's face, before he turns serious again. "And as our captive is clearly inclined to resist, it seems sensible to do what we can to reduce the threat he offers us..." Cain continues, morphing his claw to a human hand, placing it over the Master's mouth and nose, as the Master suddenly slips an arm out of the arm lock, which then grabs Cain's grappling hands and he spins and throws him backwards. "Yeagh-!" and the force field around the other arm bursts, as Games Master is also tossed back by the spin. Yu curses. "...Yu...q...quick...t...tell me his p...powers..." "You are too confident in victory when it has not yet been brought to you", the Old Master says to Cain looking directly at him., though not able to fully turn, as his feet are trapped in lead, but he can turn far enough. "Evidently." he seethes back "Now continues the lesson." "He is as me! A fighter!" Yu shouts, still fumbling. "G...give me a gap..." Yu takes a step back from Old Master, giving Tonic the room she needs, and himself: he spins his spear over his head and brings it crashing down towards Old Master with a yell. Old Master brings up his ellbow and just bashes the spear aside before it strikes across his face with the flat Reb looks to the fighting looking very worried, "Man he's going to hurt someone" he mumbles sounding more worried, his eyes slowly glowing. The Games Master rises from the ground, the illusionary woman disperses and his own form stands undisguised. The Heavenly Sword is still clutched in both hands. The reader sees a front view of the Old Master with the Games Master's eyes just above his right shoulder. In the next panel the great sword is raised. In the next panel, the Old master's eyes are seen darting to their extreme, to look in the peripheal towards the blade as it comes down; a panel closes in on a clenching fist as the fist swings up as the blade comes toward shis shoulder and shatters through the solid energy blade as the flying shards fizzle out in mid-air. The Games Masters' face is one of horror. "Anyone got a net to throw over this guy?" GM looks at the team with pleading eyes. "...N...no..b...but..." A second dart deployer rises from the bracer on Tonic's arm, and she aims it tentatively at the Old Master "...please work please work please work..." She fires and hits the wrist of the fist that shatters through the blade. The tiny dart imbeds but there appears to be no further effect "...ugh...nothing..." Mr Psychic maintains his TK on the Old Master, or tries, as the hat spins and glows faster and faster but the Master seems to push against the TK field. "Remarkable will you have there, good fellow." "Okay GRANDAD. This isn't working, got any neat tips and tricks?" aks Sonne. "I am afraid that kung-fu fights are a little out of my area of expertise, lad. Asking Yu, your own resident kung-fu master might be better... but his own option of 'slap him in the face with a giant spear ' doesn't seem to be working either... maybe use that beam of yours to drop something huge on him perhaps... no wait... people in the way... like I say, out of my depth here, lad." "Data shunt." he mutters. "Okay, GRANDAD. Thanks." Gunn hops into the air a few feet, letting the red energy course over his power armour. "Okay, gentlebeings. I'm not going to mix my words here, but if we fail on our second hurdle? Then that's going to reflect badly on us. We're not the people they want to send in there, but we're the people they've got. So steel yourselves, swallow your pride, and take that guy DOWN!" "Very well said, Gunn." Cain says, standing up again and dusting himself off - having been thrown against the temple "Everyone! Our next most obvious solution will be to ... no." he says, peering, and rearing back a little. "I can't be the only one to hold you together. You'll have to be prepared for anything - my incapacitation, betrayal, mind control..." He folds his arms, looking to the rest. "I shall indulge any plan you fine gentlemen have to offer." he says, with the smallest of smirks. Yu spins completely around on his heel, whirling his guan dao about his body before swinging it down towards Old Master with another yell, as before. However, at the last moment, he pulls the strike away, flashing the steel blade past the old man's face. The old man then springs into action, leaping and spinning and kicking. a foot comes right for Yu's head "NO!" Reb yells. A ray of shining light forms around Yu for a moment blinding, but is clearly a 7ft tall humanoid being made of shining light maybe, looks a bit solid in a weird illusionary way, also considing Yu is currently inside it. It's arm is out in a blocking way against the Old Master's leg. the slightly humanoid being after a moment of checking kinda looks like a cheap toy robot, why its hand even has pincers. The foot is locked into the pincer. Old Master twists in mid-air and lands on his hands. His legs then kick out at Games Master. A second ray of light forms a large Knuckles the Echnida, covering Games Master, spiked gloves up ready. Yu pauses mid-parry, taken off guard by the sudden apparition appearing around him. The feet repeatedly kick off of the echidna's bunched fists, then Old Master leaps up through the air, and tries to land on feet first on Cain's head, but a third light forms a large stegosaurus, creating a rather glorious kick-arse shield, covering Cain entirely. Tonic freezes, looking at the shapes in confusion. Old Master bounces off and lands back where he started and looks to Reb and gives him a nod of respect. Reb looks at his hand and mumbles "Curious." Then he smiles "I wonder, could I.." He holds a hand up and a fourth shining light forms a large hammer above the masters head heading down with force "smash you to bits!" he throws his arm down as well. The Old Master looks up; his smile disappears. He rolls as the hammer smashes down; he mostly escapes it, but the edge clips him as he rolls onto his back, looking slightly winded "Don't let up!" Yu calls out. Reb grins wide. "Remarkable work, young man", Mr Psychic complements. Reb rubs the back of his head "I didn't know i could do that..." With his eyes fixed on his foe, the Games Master takes a deep breath. He begins to jog on the spot as if in anticipation. Energy flows all around him as his running motion becomes faster and faster. His body folds forwards into a ball. He dashes forward in a blur of blue - straight towards the Old Master. "Smooth move... knucklehead." The blue blur smashes into Old Master as he lies on the floor, tossing him into the air, as he crashes back down again, looking a little more battered. Games Master comes skidding to a halt with a trail of dust behind him as he moves back away from Old Master. Tonic looks at the wrist launcher in frustration, and shifts a few wires...which causes the release of a third dart, this one heading straight for Games Master. "One...more...try...of this." The dart hits Games Master's neck and breaks "Wait! What was that for?" The Games Master clutches his neck, turning to look at Tonic. The liquid from the broken dart drips down his neck. "...D..d...d.ammit L..Laura..c...could've warned me..." Mr Psychic motions upward at Old Master, "My good man, I must apologise for this, but you are too evasive for your own good." He tilts his hat up and a pink field surrounds Master again and lifts him up off the ground, taking the lump of lead around his legs, with him. "Take this chance, my friends." Old Master is struggling against the TK field, looking massively restrained "Somebody get me up there and I'll clock him!" yells Tops Cain chuckles, strolling back into the fight =. "Oh, Tops, old friend. So interesting to see that none of the rest thought to utter any sort of scheme before you could. "Whatever they are doing seems to be working. Just thought I'd take advantage of Psychic's little play, there, sir. But thanks for the compliment." Tops tips his hat. Cain responds with a little bow-like nod. "Still, a little communication goes a long way." he says, looking at Tops when he says it, but clearly enough that it has to be directed at everyone. Gunn rolls his eyes. "As for that lift..." Cain grins, quaking and turning a dusty brown. His tail slides into view, now a hefty ankylosaurus club. "Land well, good sir" he says, and then wraps the tail quickly around Tops, hurling him up. Reb stares at the sight of a flying tercartops and makes a mental note of "Dear Diary, best day ever." Tops lands on top of the TK field and flying kicks Old Master in the face, but the old man seems to take it with composure "Right, I don't like doing this, but I'm left with little choice." Gunn angles his feet to propel him towards the Old Master, using the momentum and the swooping angle to throw a heavy right hook. This one hits with more of a punch, as he feels his fist crunch 'bone' in the jaw. "I punched the old man, Mr. Topps, Mr. Cain. I'm communicating that it felt like a solid punch." "Confirmed!" says Tops as he begins falling towards the ground. "Splendid." Cain joins Yu mutters under his breath, bracing himself into a crouch. He leaps up, and vanishes in a flash of light, appearing a little above the levitating old man. "It's over!" He falls back down, bringing the wooden length of his spear down upon Old Master as he draws level and smashes Old Master over the top of the head. The old man punches out, but Yu disappears in another flash. Old Master spins round, punching spinning and kicking in mid-air, but his blows seem clumsier, and do not land. The light constructs of Knuckles, Stegasurus and the Toy Robot vanish from existence, as does the hammer, as light forms round Mr Tops, forming a super fun slide! all the way down to the ground. "There you go Mr Tops" he waves as his eyes flash with the same colour light as before. The super fun slide has a few spins. "Flashy display boy!" says Tops, as he slides to the botton, and doffs his hat to Reb Reb smiles "Not as flashy as your awesome flying kick Mr Tops, very brave." He smiles. "What can I say, I am a fan of Bruce Lee. Thus, i am finding this all rather delightful!" The Games Master runs into a blur once more, this time leaping high into the air. Yu takes a moment to give Mr. Tops a look as if he's just bitten into a lemon. "Ah yes, good old Kato" says Mr Psychic. "Who's Kato?" Reb asks. The Games Master rolls in mid-air, illusionary blue spikes about him. Reb stares at Games Master with SHEER FANBOY "You don't know of the Green Hornet and Kato, young man? I shall have to seek out one of those digital disc sets" Mr Psychic responds. “K.O.!” Games Master roars. Then slams down into the Old Master. Games Master brings Old Master with him down to the ground; there is a big THOOOOOOOOOOOM as they strike, kicking up a massive dust cloud "End of simulation." And then the room returns to its featureless white. Reb stares off at Games Master's last known location wide-eyed. "OMG" "And thus, we learned his weakness. Hedgehogs, apparently" says GRANDAD Mr Psychic taps his top hat with his cane. "Ah, success at last." "Did you see that he totally Sonic-ed him, then he was street fighter and then and then and then BOOOOOOOM!" says Reb. "Quite." Cain says, looking around idlly. "Though I'm beginning to wonder who really grasped the point of it all..." Reb acts out the explosion with his arms and lots of spit. Yu just stands there, panting for breath and staring dumbly at where Old Master had been before the simulation ended, and then Games Master stands from the one knee that was touching the ground "That was fun" says Sonne. And then that whole hole in the chest that Games Master has is suddenly, with the battle over, really obvious. A hole in the chest, and no blood. "AHH" Reb reacts. "That's less fun. Red Buddha, are you simming that?" "Simming what, my friend?" "... That hole in the GM." "He's a m...machine, covered in organic t...tissue...S..so that's why..." "... Wait, what?" Sonne says. Yu snaps his head up at that, marching over to get a look for himself. "... you didn't know?" Cain says, in disbelief. "Why aren't you bleeding a quick..." he looks to Dr Toni "oh perhaps thats why my ablity didn't work on him cause I only tested it on organic tissues," "a...and mine, Reb..." Tonic adds. "My bluebirds and ravens" says Mr Psychic. End of issue.